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Article 2.
Does It Pay off? The Effect of Social and Cultural
Capital on Learners’ Language Learning Strategies
Azizollah Dabaghi
Department of English Language, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan
Abstract
Language is a socio-cultural phenomenon. A large number of language learning strategies arise from the interactions between individuals and their socio-cultural contexts. The aim of this article was to explore the relationship between EFL learners’ language learning strategies and their social and cultural capital. To this end, the Social and Cultural Capital Questionnaire (SCCQ) and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were administered to a sample of 63 undergraduate students majoring in English language so that the researchers could examine the best predictors of language learning strategies in terms of five factors of the SCCQ, namely, social competence, social solidarity, literacy, cultural competence, and extraversion. Results from Pearson product-moment correlation showed highly significant correlations between all five factors of SCCQ and learners’ language learning strategies. Moreover, results from the regression analysis revealed that a combination of literacy, social solidarity, and extraversion was the best predictor of language learning strategies by explaining 50% of the variances in EFL learners’ language learning strategies scores. The implications of the study are discussed.
Keywords:Language learning strategies, EFL context, Socio-cultural context
Introduction
Last few decades, beginning from 70s, have witnessed a gradual and significant shift ineducation, resulting in less emphasis on teacher and teaching and more stress on learner and learning. The former teacher centered approaches failed to help the learners become independent in the process of learning, so the educationalists shifted their attention to the learner in order to gather information and see how the learners approach in the process of language learning. More specifically the researchers tried to do studies regarding the good language learners. Oxford (1990) pointed out how important learning strategies are, both in
theory and in practice, for language learners. Researchers such as Oxford (1990) and O’Malley and Chamot (1990) either stated or implied that we can learn lessons from good language learners.
As a result of the publication of these authors’ works, a large number of researches were carried out in most parts of the world to lead the educationalists help the learners reach an extended level of autonomous and independent language learning. Analysis of Chamot, Robin, and Anderson (2007) reveals that studies are directed to the point that learners can assume responsibility for using the strategies independently by raising awareness of language learning strategies, modeling of the strategies, strategy practice opportunities, self-evaluation of the effectiveness of strategy use and transfer of strategies to fresh tasks and situations. These investigators tried to identify the language learners’ learning and use strategies. Since they believed that their pedagogical and scientific decisions should be based on the successful learners’ approach. The identification and description of learning strategies used by language learners and the correlation of these strategies with other learner variables were studied by the researchers. However, no study to date has tried to examine the role of social and cultural capital in Iranian EFL students’ language learning strategies.